TODAY’S STUDY: NEW ENERGY INNOVATION, PATENTS RISING

Clean Energy Patent Growth Index 3rd Quarter 2011
December 8, 2011 (Cleantech Group- Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C.)

The Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI), published quarterly by the Cleantech Group at Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. provides an indication of the trend of innovative activity in the Clean Energy sector from 2002 to the present. Results from the third quarter of 2011 reveal the CEPGI to have a value of 599 granted U.S. patents which is the highest quarterly total since tracking of the CEPGI began, topping the previous record set in the 4th quarter of 2010 by 24 granted patents, along with being up 62 over the second quarter of this year and up 109 over the third quarter of last year.

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The granting of patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is often cited as a measure of the inventive activity and evidence of the effectiveness of research & development investments. Patents are considered to be such an indicator, because to be awarded a patent, it requires not only the efforts of inventors to develop new and non-obvious innovations but also successful handling by patent counsel to shepherd a patent application through the PTO. Thus, the granting of a patent is an indicator that efforts at innovation have been successful and that an innovation had enough perceived value to justify the time and expense in procuring the patent.

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The CEPGI (shown below quarterly) tracks the granting of U.S. patents for the following sub-components: Solar, Wind, Hybrid/electric vehicles, Fuel Cells, Hydroelectric, Tidal/wave, Geothermal, Biomass/biofuels and other clean renewable energy.

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The components breakdown of the CEPGI shows solar patents, wind patents and hybrid/electric vehicle patents to be at quarterly records. Fuel cells were up 41 relative to the 2d quarter at 246 granted patents and down 7 relative to the year before. Granted solar patents at 138 topped the remaining components of the CEPGI, tieing the first quarter and being up 16 over the second while being up 50 from the year before…

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Wind lagged solar by 25 while tieing the second quarter at 113 granted clean energy patents and up 42 compared to the third quarter of 2010. Hybrid/electric vehicle patents (58) were at an all time quarterly high, up 11 over the second quarter and up 12 over the same period in 2010. Biofuel patents (26) were down one from the second quarter and up 10 relative to the 3d quarter of 2010. There were 4 granted hydroelectric patents tieing the second quarter and down 8 from the previous year. Tidal patents were up 5 at 20 from the 2d quarter and up 10 over the year before.

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General Electric repeated as quarterly champ, taking the quarterly Clean Energy Patent crown with 52 granted clean energy patents in the third quarter of 2011, topping 2010 annual champion General Motors by 20 patents. GE’s wind patents (39) alone were more than the total of any of the other contenders, but GE also added fuel cell (2), hybrid electric vehicle (4), solar (6) and biomass/biofuel (1) patents. GM rose two places to second compared to the second quarter on the strength of its fuel cell (28) and hybrid electric vehicle patents (3), and a biomass/biofuel patent…

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Toyota dropped a spot to third place with 30 granted clean energy patents due to its strong showing in fuel cells (23), hybrid/electric vehicles (6) and solar (1) patents. Samsung trailed Toyota by one with 29 patents mostly in fuel cells (27) with two in solar patents. Honda was in fifth place with 19 fuel cell and 2 hybrid electric vehicle patents while had Panasonic mirrored Honda with 11 and 2 patents, respectively, in the same categories. Vestas had 12 patents - all in wind. Nissan followed the auto company model with 7 fuel cell and 4 hybrid electric vehicle patents. Siemens, not seen among the leaders since 2003, had a fuel cell and 7 wind patents. Hyundai rounded out the top ten this quarter with fuel cell (5) and hybrid electric vehicle (4) patents.

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As depicted below in the geographic charts, Japan was again the leader in the third quarter among non-U.S. holders of U.S. clean energy patents and the individual U.S. states with 126, up 12 from the second quarter and up 2 from the year prior. New York reached a new high in granted clean energy patents for the second consecutive quarter ever, passing California to move into second place - and first among US states. New York was up 9 from the second quarter and up a remarkable 30 over the third quarter of 2010…

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California fell to third place with 58 clean energy patents down 7 from the previous quarter and up thirteen from the year before. Michigan and Korea tied for fourth place with 46 patents. Michigan was up 8 from the second quarter and down the same number compared to the third quarter of last year. Korea was up 5 clean energy patents from the second quarter and 11 from the same period a year before. Germany had 39 clean energy patents in the third quarter which was 10 more than the quarter before and 11 more compared to the year before…

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Taiwan placed seventh at 22 granted clean energy patents up 11 from the second quarter and an impressive 14 from the same quarter in 2010. France and Denmark followed with 17 and 13 patents, respectively, with France increasing by 6 and up 8 compared to the second quarter of this and the prior year. Denmark dropped by half from last quarter while jumping up by 8 relative to the same period from the year before. Connecticut had 13 granted clean energy patents, up 6 from last quarter and 5 from a year prior. Massachusetts had 11 granted clean energy patents, Canada, Pennsylvania and Oregon had 10 granted clean energy patents while Illinois had 9 and Washington had 8…

The CEPGI is updated quarterly and is occasionally supplemented with related articles posted on www.cleanenergypatentgrowt hindex.com or http://www.cepgi.com/